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Under the Scope: Oilers vs. Canadiens

by
Travis Knee
/ Edmonton Oilers

Montreal came in not having a whole lot of success in recent years against the Oilers but were able to reverse that trend tonight. The Habs would get a strong effort from Max Pacioretty and P.K Subban en route to a 5-3 road win.

For the Oilers it was not the effort they were looking for coming off a strong game versus San Jose the other night. Edmonton failed to gain some ground in the overall standings on a Canadiens team missing a couple key players to injury.

With the game tied 2-2 early in the third period, Montreal would head to the powerplay and score the go-ahead goal. A Tomas Plekanec pass would be one-touched by Rene Bourque to an open Tomas Kaberle who made no mistake, putting Montreal ahead 3-2. They would hold on to win the game 5-3.

52

The faceoff winning percentage for the Oilers overall in tonight's game. They won 32 of 61 draws.

30

Max Pacioretty would score his 30th goal of the season into an empty-net in tonight's game. He became the first Hab since Alex Kovalev to hit that mark.

50

With his goal tonight, Taylor Hall recorded his first 50-point season in the NHL.

With Montreal leading 4-2 late in the third period, Taylor Hall would pull the Oilers back into the game with his 24th of the season. Hall would control the puck in the offensive zone, dragging and snapping a shot through traffic, beating Budaj.

Canadiens' forward Max Pacioretty would have a strong night for a Montreal lineup desperate for offence. Max would hit the 30 goal mark for the first time in his career in helping Montreal to the 5-3 win while also being voted the games 'first star'.

Montreal defenceman P.K Subban was at the top of his game tonight for the Canadiens. Subban would log more ice-time than any other player in tonight's game while also putting up three points(1G,2A) and a +2 rating.

Tonight's game featured the 28 and 29th place teams in the NHL. Edmonton came in trailing Montreal by just two points with more wins on the season than the Habs. The loss now pushes the Oilers four points back of Monteal.

"They battled, everyone does. It was one of those nights, we were a little off." -- Tom Renney on tonight's effort level against Montreal.

Saturday, March 10 vs. Colorado1:00pm MST (SNET-W / 630 CHED)

The Oilers will head on the road Friday for a Saturday afternoon game against the Colorado Avalanche. It will be the sixth and final meeting of the season between these clubs, with the Oilers holding a 3-2 lead in the series. The game can be seen live on Sportsnet West.